Spring support for vehicles



A. HUPP. SPRING SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21. I921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Patented May 16, 1922.

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A. HUPP.

SPRING SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FIL ED APR. 21. I92I- Patented May 16, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SPRING SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 163, 3l 2l2%.

Application filed April 21, 1921. Serial No. 463,262.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatT, ALBERT HUPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Supports for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring supports for automobiles and other vehicles, and has been designed chiefly for use as a spring support for automobiles of the Ford type wherein the spring support is disposed transversely of the body and directly above the front and rear axles.

One object of the invention is to dispense with the customary elliptical and semielliptical leaf springs almost universally used, and to substitute therefor coil compression springs of such a character and so disposed that they will absorb the shocks and vibrations of an uneven road surface better than the regulation leaf springs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring construction of the type specifiedwhich will not require the use of either casings or mandrels to support the springs laterally; and this object I attain by the use of heavy conical coil springs having a sufiiciently wide flare or taper to not only effectively resist permanent bending or distortion under transverse stress, but also to flex sidewise as well as endwise, thereby affording an increased shock absorbing capacity, and improving the easy riding qualities of the car. A further object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the said springs will be so disposed relatively to the body and the axle as to effectively resist side lurches of the body as well as relative vertical vibrations. A more specific object is to provide an improved means of connecting the ends of the springs to the yoke or bolster and the axle which will facilitate easy assembling of the parts, and will prevent accidental disconnection of the springs when the compression stress is suddenly relieved as by a wheel dropping into a hole or rut.

The novel structural features of my present invention, its mode or principle of action, and the advantages inhering therein will all be readily understood and appreciated by persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description/taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a rear elevation of the body and rear axle of a car of the Ford type, showing my improved spring support partially in vertical section applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the body and front axle of the same car, showing a, similar spring support applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation,.illustrating one manner of connecting the wide end of the spring to the yoke head;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modified manner of connectin the wide end of the spring to the yoke head.

Referring first to Fig. l, 5 designates the body and 6 a rear transverse body supporting frame member of a car. 7 designates the rear axle bridge or housing, on the ends of which are the usual upwardly and inwardly projecting pivot lugs 8. Rigidly secured at its center to the frame member 6 by a clip or clevis 9 and bolts 10 is a yoke 11 formed on its ends with upwardly and outwardly inclined round heads 12. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, each of these heads is formed with a peripheral groove or channel 13, in which is seated the upper coil of a heavy conical coil spring 14. These springs are disposed with their wide ends uppermost, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the uppermost coil is flattened and its end tapered, as shown at 14 in Fig. 3 to lie flat against the inclined end of the second coil. This uppermost coil is applied to the groove 13 of the head 12 by spreading the coil by a suitable expanding tool and springing it over the lower flange of the head. After itis in place, the lower flange of the head securely looks it against accidental displacement under a pull such as might occur on the dropping of a wheel into a hole or ditch.

The lower end of the spring is connected to the pivot lug 8 through the intermediary of a coupling block or plug 15. This member may be likewise provided with a peripheral groove or channel 16 that is engaged with a flattened lower coil at the narrow end of the spring in the same manner as that described in connection with the wide upper end and shown in Fig. 3. This coupling member 15 is formed on its outer side with a concave recess 17 which lies just inwardly of the free end of the pivot lug 8. The lower end of the coupling member 15 extends beneath the pivot lug 8 and is flexibly jointed to the latter by a pair of suspension links 18 and pivot pins 19 and 20. At the front end of the vehicle shown in Fig. 2 the same structure as that already described is employed, with the exception that the yoke 11 is straight, instead of bowed, as shown in Fig. 1. The other parts which are identical with corresponding parts shown and described in connection with Fig. 1 are identified by the same reference numerals with an alphabetical exponent.

Fig. 4: illustrates a modification of the means of attaching the wide ends of the spring to the head of the yoke. in this construction the head of the spring is formed with a spiral groove 21 having the same pitch as the coils of the spring, and the upper coil of the latter is not flattened, and the spring is mounted on the head by introducing the end of the coil into the lower end of the spiral groove and then giving it a couple of turns and screwing it in place.

Obviously, the same modified structure, of spiral groove may be used on the lower coupling blocks 15 and 15" if desired.

The drawings in full line positions illustrate the positions and relations. of the springs under a normal load. lin Fig. l l have shown by dotted lines at the right the position which the springs would occupy under an overload, from which it will be seen that the spring is not only nearly fully compressed but has also been flexed sidewise to some extent. At the left I have shown by dotted lines a theoretical position of the spring fully extended and under no load.

' verse or sidewise flexibility of the spring to be utilized without danger of breaking or permanent bending and without requiring either internal or external lateral support.

I claim:

1. in -a spring support for vehicles, the combination with a body-supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly sc cured to said frame member between its ends and formed at its ends with spring enga ing heads, a pair of conical-coil springs connected at their wide ends to said heads, respectively, and coupling means connecting thrle narrowends of said springs to said ax e.

2. In a spring support for vehicles, the combination with a body supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly secured between its ends to said frame member and formed at its ends with upwardly and outwardly inclined heads, a pair of conical coil springs connected at their wide ends to said heads, respectively, and coupling means connecting the narrow ends of said springs to said axle.

8. In a spring support for vehicles, the combination with a body-supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly secured between its ends to and beneath said frame member and formed at its ends with upwardly and outwardly inclined heads having peripheral grooves, a pair of conical coil springs having the coils at their wide ends mounted in the grooves of said heads, respectively, and coupling means connecting the narrow ends of said springs to said axle.

4. in a spring support for vehicles, the combination with a body-supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly secured between its ends to and beneath said frame member and formed at its ends with upwardly and outwardly inclined, heads, a pair of conical coil springs connected at their wide ends to said heads, respectively, tip-- standing pivot lugs on said axle, and coupling blocks having peripheral grooves engaged with the coils at the narrow ends of said springs, said coupling blocks being flexibly jointed to said pivot lugs.

5. In a sprin support for vehicles, the combination wit a body-supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly secured between its ends to said frame memher and formed at its ends with upwardly and outwardly inclined heads. a air of conical coil springs connected at thelr wide ends to said heads, respectively, upstanding pivot lugs on said axle, coupling blocks to which the lower ends of said springs are connected, respectively, and suspension links by which said coupling blocks are flexibly connected to said pivot lugs.

6. lln a spring support for vehicles, the combinationwith a body-supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly secured between its ends to said frame memher and formed at its ends with upwardly and outwardly inclined heads, a pair of conical coil springs connected at their wide ends to said heads, respectively, upstanding pivot lugs on said axle, coupling blocks to which the lower ends of said springs are connected, respectively, and suspension links by which said coupling blocks are flexibly connected to saidpivot lugs, said coupling blocks being formed with concave recesses on their outer sides lying opposite to and engaged by the upper ends of said pivot lugs.

7. In a spring support for vehicles, the combination with a body-supporting frame member, and an axle, of a yoke rigidly secured between its ends to said frame member, and a pair of conical coil springs secured between the ends of said yoke and the end portions of said axle, said springs disposed With their Wide ends uppermost and with their longitudinal axes extending downwardly and outwardly from the ends of said yoke at an angle of approximately fortyfive degrees.

ALBERT HUPP. 

